Boards

The Metro seems to run this intermittantly. Here's an excerpt from last week:

"To the lovely lady with the dark brown hair and fantastic smile who catches the 220 bus and gets off in Infirmary Street at about 7.15am. I let you out of your seat and you gave me a beaming smile. Make my day and let me know that you're interested.
Dave, Leeds"

Now laying aside the fact that zxcvbnm's a married man, doesn't this just scream STALKER!!!

I mean, if you were single, wouldn't you just RUN IN FEAR from this sort of thing? Even funnier is the thought of people misinterpretting these things if they ARE interested and trying to hit on random strangers.

'Were you the man in the glasses who struggled to get his calves through the door of the Northern Line tube train at 7.34am yesterday? If so, I like the way you controlled your laptop that early in the morning. Let's hook up and I can see if you love Babylon 5 as much as me. I was the fat lass with the purple hair and the crotchless tights. I think you noticed me when my arse knocked your glasses off. Call me xxx'

As I suspect is the case with many single men, the number of women I see around the place and wish I had the courage/ability to strike up a conversation with is pretty high. But I still think that, once you've not done so and they've gone, it's probably too late and you're better off moving on and learning the next time you see somebody else.

If you did speak to someone for no real reason, bearing in mind half of the ones posted are from oop-North where talking to a stranger on the bus won't necessarily get you maced, I think you'd get farther.

The amount of detail here shows a certain amount of obsession that would just colour the object of the viewing's mind, surely?

The point is that some people here seem to think that two strangers, on a bus, train, wherever, are not allowed to communicate with oneanother. Do you not know the Sinatra song 'Strangers In The Night'? Simple glances like that between strangers can be thrilling, and is completely the opposite of one person leering at another.

I was NOT looking at your breasts. Ok, accidentally I did once, but that was just because you were sat down and I was practically stood over you. I was trying to look you in the eye, ok? So, yeah, sorry if you did think I was looking at your breasts even though I only did once and as I explained that was an accident. Ok?

"To the really tall guy who gets on the X84 in Otley, at the stop nearest the Yeoman pub. You must be at least 6ft 2in and sometimes wear a duffle coat in winter. You have little sideburnes and mid-brown hair that gets a bit scraggy before you cut it short again. I always wonder what you're reading and whether you're single. You look so thoughtful and sweet.
Helen, Leeds"

Jesus...how long has she been watching this guy? If I was this man I'd be reaching for some sort of restraining order.

Me: 'Cars eh? They suck!'
Her: 'I've been banned for driving'
Me: 'Oh! Well, buses are much better for the environment anyway!'
Her: 'This is my first day out of prison since accidentally running over my partner when drunk driving'.
Me: 'So... you're single then?'

Someone actually spent 20quid on a 'Once seen..' ad in Time Out in order to meet a random stranger they'd seen on a train (ie me)
It was very odd, especially as I was tripping my nuts off at the time this person saw me

I had no idea who it was
I'd been in Cambridge with a couple of mates for their MA graduation ceremony and we'd been dropping acid so I was just sat on the train on the way back with my shades on grinning at everyone - it could have been anyone - whoever it was spotted me when I got on the tube at King's Cross

they wrote
"to the beautiful boy with the british airways bag - I want to see the eyes behind those dark glasses"

at Manchester Oxford Road, waiting for the 15:41 to Liverpool. I know by the seruptitious glance you gave the rest of us after you put your hand down your trousers and scratched your bum that you think you got away with it, but you didn't.